The Hindu : Violence continues as Fernandes leads peace march

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 29, 2002

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Violence continues as Fernandes leads peace march

By Manas Dasgupta

The Union Ministers, George Fernandes, Arun Jaitley and Digvijay Singh, leading a peace march in Ahmedabad on Sunday.— PTI

AHMEDABAD APRIL 28. Even as the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, led a peace rally in the walled city areas, five persons were killed in Ahmedabad and Vadodara and about a dozen injured in police firing and stabbing today.

The spot near the Kalupur railway station from where Mr. Fernandes began the peace march in the morning came under indefinite curfew a few hours later as violent mobs indulged in stoning, looting and arson.

An indefinite curfew was also clamped in areas under the Gomtipur police station following incidents of stabbing and arson. While one person was killed in overnight violence in Vadodara, three were killed in police firing in Chandola Talao area in Maninagar locality in Ahmedabad and one person was stabbed to death and two persons, including a woman, were injured in stabbing in Gomtipur locality.

Modi participates

Hundreds of people from all communities and all walks of life, NCC cadets, prominent citizens and religious leaders, children and students, joined the march organised by the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry and led by Mr. Fernandes, who was flanked by the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and the Union Law Minister, Arun Jaitley.

The first major peace effort since the trouble began exactly two months ago in the aftermath of the Godhra carnage on February 27, the rally was received enthusiastically by both the Hindu and Muslim leaders as it started from Manilal Mansion near Kalupur railway station and passed through a 3-km stretch on the Relief Road culminating in a public meeting in Sardar Baug at Lal Darwaja.

Mr. Modi's presence, which was kept a closely guarded secret till the last moment, however, caused some heartburn.

A couple of active members of the chamber refused to join the rally because of the Chief Minister's presence. Some Muslim youths said they would have "enforced'' a "janata" curfew (public curfew) among Muslims if they had known that Mr. Modi would be attending the rally.

In view of the prevailing conditions, strict security measures were taken to ensure a peaceful rally. At some sensitive points, the heavy deployment of security staff outnumbered even the rallyists.

Besides the mounted police, the Rapid Action Force and other para-military forces, police was deployed at rooftops to keep a watch on the miscreants. The Director-General of Police, K. Chakravarthi, personally supervised the security arrangements.

`Forget the past'

Later, addressing the rally, Mr. Fernandes appealed to the people to work unitedly for peace "forgetting the past and forgiving the evil-doers to build a new tomorrow.''

Mr. Jaitley said the rally was a major step forward and was sure to succeed. A message would go to the people that Gujarat wanted peace and if a few miscreants tried to disrupt peace, they would have to be identified and exposed to restore normality in the State.

Mr. Modi said the restoration of confidence was of paramount importance to establish peace but efforts in this direction were being shattered by rumour mongering and at times by "exaggerated media coverage''.

Violence after march

Within hours after the march ended, violence broke out in Kalupur and several localities on the route virtually making a mockery of the peace efforts.

Violent mobs indulged in stoning and arson in Dhanasuthar-ni-Pole, Panchpatti and other areas in Kalupur while a number of houses and hutments in Saraspur locality were set afire forcing the police to impose indefinite curfew at 5.15 p.m. in the entire Kalupur locality.

Large-scale violence broke out in Chandola Lake area under Maninagar police station on Saturday night as groups of people suddenly took to the streets and indulged in heavy stone throwing, looting and arson forcing the police to burst teargas shells and fire 51 rounds in which three persons were killed and nine were injured.

Though it was relatively a quiet day in Vadodara, violence broke out in Vadi locality despite the indefinite curfew this afternoon with groups of people indulging in stone throwing, arson and stabbing.

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